


Come out of the cold

by wingedmermaid



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-13
Updated: 2014-02-13
Packaged: 2018-01-12 06:25:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1182933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingedmermaid/pseuds/wingedmermaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cadet Reader gets distracted and cold doing a simple winter chore and a certain other cadet helps warm her up.<br/>[SPOILER WARNING: Vague spoilers for events that happen past the end of the anime.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Come out of the cold

You’d been on your way to the woodshed wrapped as tightly in your coat as you could get. You were having difficulty adjusting to the cold outside after an hour spent sitting as close to the fire as you could get with the other cadets. Your body was shaking so hard your teeth occasionally clicked together but just at the moment you were too taken in to notice.

You sucked in a slow breath and let it out just as slowly as you gazed through the trees around you in wonder. It was snowing just a little. Large flakes. Each one a perfect crystalline work of art. And somehow, when the sun had suddenly come out from behind a cloud, each tiny fragment of snow had begun to sparkle and shine as it danced its way towards the ground in slow spirals of its own light.

“Hey.” The deep voice behind you startled you so much that you had to cover your mouth to block a small yelp as you jumped. 

“Reiner!” You knew that voice well. You laughed softly as you turned to cover your nervousness. “I, um, didn’t hear you there.”

“That was pretty obvious.” The big man was grinning wryly at you. His face was a little rough but his eyes were always shining with such a sincere light. “How long have you been standing here? Everyone was worried about you.”

“Oh...” Meaning Reiner had worried about you. The others were all kind but not nearly as concerned with the people around them as he was. Over the past two years as he’d tirelessly looked out for everyone around him you’d caught yourself quietly trying to get closer to him during group activities and watching for his broad frame when the other cadets were around. You turned partially away from him so you could see the snowflakes twinkling again and hide a small smile at the same time. “Do you see them? It’s like... It’s like magic from the fairy tales my mom used to tell me.”

“Magic, huh...” Reiner chuckled as he stepped closer and raised his hand in front of you. His hands were big enough normally but with the extra bulk of the mitten it threatened to cover most of your face. You tried to move away but he was too quick and brushed away a drip that you hadn’t even realized was hanging from your nose. You’d only intended to be out for a minute so you’d left your scarf behind. 

“Magic’s not going to keep your nose from freezing off, you know.” He flicked his hand to rid the mitten of your snot and grinned at you.

“Y-you didn’t have to...” As you rubbed at your own nose, mortified, a wind came up and suddenly snowflakes were blowing up all around you in clouds and whirls of sparkling glitter. You couldn’t help the little ‘Ah!’ of joy that slipped through your lips as everything else flew from your mind.

“Hey...” Reiner called your name and his voice was softer somehow. 

You turned back to the tall man and saw that his cheeks were red, from the cold you supposed, and you fleetingly wondered if yours were the same. You smiled at him before letting your gaze drift away to follow the dancing flakes again. “It’s beautiful, right? I think... That maybe I could be happy here forever...” It wasn’t an option but it was a nice thought.

“Is that so?” He took another step closer and the front of his coat brushed up against yours. 

Your heart fluttered suddenly as you tipped your head back to look up at him. “Oh, um, right... You’re probably getting cold... Sorry... We should go.” 

His mittens came up and enveloped your face in warm wool again as he cupped your cheeks in his hands.

“Reiner?” You suddenly couldn’t seem to move.

“I think I could be happy here forever, too.” His voice had lowered to a soft growl and his face was so close you could almost feel the words rumbling through the air between you. “If you were with me.”

Your breath caught in your throat as he kissed you very, very lightly. His lips felt hot against yours. How long had you been out here? You reached up and grabbed clumsy handfuls of his jacket in your mittens to pull him closer. He let out a short laugh as you crushed your lips against his.

When you finally returned, each with an armful of wood, the rest of the cadets were waiting. Jeers and questions came from all corners and you hurried to the wood bin so they wouldn’t see the blush on your cheeks or your kiss-swollen lips. Reiner just laughed them off and told them he’d found you off daydreaming again. You grabbed a little more time by not looking at anyone as you took your time stripping off all your outerwear in the entryway. 

When you brushed past Reiner on your way back to the fire you could feel one of his big hands ghost down your back and the blush came back full force as he whispered “Save a place for me.” under his breath.

To your relief the cadet’s attention and conversation had already moved on and you chose a secluded place to sit off to the side of the fire by Bertolt. You wrapped your arms around your knees and let the heat of the fire soak into you. When you glanced up you caught a strange, pitying sort of expression on the face of the tall boy beside you. 

You frowned a little. “Bertolt?”

“Ah...” He glanced away, shy as always. “Um, yeah?”

“Um, Bertolt...” He and Reiner were inseparable friends. Did he suspect something? Was he jealous? No, that didn’t match the look he’d had... But why would he look at you like that?

“There you are.” Reiner sank down next to you with a satisfied sigh and stretched his legs out towards the fire. “This is much better.”

He tugged at your sleeve and when you lowered your arm his large, calloused hand wrapped around yours in the small space between the two of you where no one could see. You glanced up at Reiner who gave you a wink. You smiled back at him and he squeezed your hand reassuringly as he leaned back against the wall. But when you glanced over at Bertolt again an echo of that same, forbidding expression seemed to shift in the back of his eyes and you felt a small shiver travel down your spine.

“Hey, you okay? Still cold?” Reiner tugged you a little closer so the lines of your bodies were touching and you found it difficult to hold on to your previous train of thought with your hand squashed against his thigh. 

“No, I’m much better now.” You murmured as you settled back against the wall beside him trying not to make it too obvious that you were leaning against the larger man just a little. His body was so warm that you wondered if he ever actually felt the cold. You ran your thumb gently over the back of his hand and squeezed back.

“Good.” The voice rumbled in your ear. “You just let me know whenever you’re cold and I’ll make sure to warm you up.”

You laughed softly. “I bet you will.”

His fingertips caressed your thigh as he wove his fingers through yours. “I will.” The words were low and held a wealth of promises that made your heart stutter for a moment. You closed your eyes and leaned into him just a fraction more so you could feel his shoulder press against yours each time he breathed in. You let out a tiny, happy sigh. Yes, you knew it couldn’t last, but right now you felt like you could be happy forever.

**Author's Note:**

> So.... Apologies for such ridiculous silliness. And for any spelling/grammar mistakes. I just... really love Reiner. And Bertolt. I think they're amazing characters.
> 
> Um, also, if you've been kind enough to read this, comments and criticisms of all kinds are welcome.
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr post.](http://wingedmermaid.tumblr.com/post/76550244232/come-out-of-the-cold)


End file.
